The arrival of Semplici on the rossoblu bench has brought a new role for Alfred Duncan. He landed last January in Sardinia, ready to go and immediately on the pitch against Milan and Genoa, then a muscle injury that put him out of action. Di Francesco wanted him as Rog's replacement, but after a few weeks his mentor had to say goodbye to Cagliari, and here is Leonardo Semplici from Florence to build him a new position in the rossoblu chessboard. Florence, the city from which Duncan left for the island and which is now one of the opponents in the battle for salvation. The boss had some difficulties in the first half of Crotone, but then he soon understood the requests of his new coach, and against Bologna he represented the happy note of the evening of the Sardegna Arena. A technical midfielder, little director, and a lot of filter, with cleanliness and also some risk taken with awareness.
The data are not everything, but they can give general indications on the performance of the Ghanaian midfielder. Meanwhile, the position as a real median in front of the defense, few concessions to the advances in enemy land, and a lot of work to contain the number one danger from Bologna Soriano. Then the raw numbers, such as those 28 positive passes that see him in the lead among the Cagliari players (the latter, Nainggolan, and Klavan, stopped at 20) and confirm his skills as a cleaner in the midfield also under construction. His performance, however, did not stop at the aspect of possession, but it is in that of the block in front of Bologna in which he made the difference. Not so much in the tackles won, only one, but in the duels - six, second only to Joao Pedro - and above all in those 4 intercepted balls that have removed Cagliari from complex situations in their trocar. The seven balls recovered are a logical consequence, the best among the moving players of his team and second only to Schouten among those who took the field.
Semplici has in fact changed the cards on the table with a simple move. Duncan has not received the keys to the game, he who is not a director in fact, but he has certainly taken possession of the median as the absolute representative of the balance sought by those who wanted him in Cagliari. A lover of risk, it is in fact the Ghanaian who has carried out the most dribbles, three, but also of stability for a midfield that with him as a central pivot has found the key to free Marin, Nainggolan, and the winger. There will be time to see that dynamite in the feet that made the president of Livorno Spinelli fall in love, the goals can wait. Now Duncan has another task, that of sacrificing himself for the sake of salvation and conquering redemption and permanence in the rossoblu.